by Sue Horner | Jan 13, 2016 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
You don’t have to hire someone to slap you every time you turn to Facebook. That was the extreme step blogger Maneesh Sethi took to be more productive, detailed in Why I Hired a Girl on Craigslist — and How I Quadrupled My Productivity. But to be...
by Sue Horner | Nov 11, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Hiring a freelancer is a great idea when you need a special skill, your team is stretched too thin, you have a special project or a tight deadline. IABC/Toronto members talked about these reasons why you would outsource work to independents and freelancers and more in...
by Sue Horner | Aug 19, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Consultants and freelancers are always interested in talking about fees. (Are we charging enough? Too much? What’s the going rate?) And so it was a group of us recently took part in a Twitter chat hosted by PWAC, the Professional Writers Association of Canada....
by Sue Horner | Jul 12, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Join us Wednesday for the next #PWACchat for freelance writers? pic.twitter.com/t6YVjqr5Fr — PWAC Toronto Chapter (@PWACToronto) July 5, 2015 When do you ask a client for a referral or a testimonial? We writers are often shy to ask, but it’s an important way of...
by Sue Horner | May 8, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Networking is an important part of finding customers. Is the way you introduce yourself helping land those customers? When it comes to getting people’s attention, “You have about as much time as it takes to start your car,” speaker Kevin Smith (aka The Story...
by Sue Horner | Apr 20, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Gerry Lewis wants to help you stand out. “Everyone can be a better communicator if we just take it up a notch,” the author of SHINE: Stand Out. Get Noticed. Be Brilliant told a recent gathering of IABC Golden Horseshoe members and friends. Start by...
by Sue Horner | Mar 19, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
When it comes to a Request for Proposal (RFP), the first question you should ask yourself is this: To bid, or not to bid? At a meeting this week of my local group of independents, the Communicators Connection, presenter Paul Heron pointed out that for small businesses...
by Sue Horner | Mar 10, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
If you’re new to freelancing, you probably charge by the hour. However, a better plan for both clients and solopreneurs is to charge by the project, according to panelists at an IABC/Toronto Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) session on pricing. This takes...
by Sue Horner | Feb 6, 2015 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The Internet used to be like an elephant; it never forgot. Now, its future is about “fast, temporary pieces of content” (think Snapchat) that are here now and gone soon after. Mitch Joel, one of North America’s leading digital experts, told IABC/Toronto members...
by Sue Horner | Nov 20, 2014 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Working with other freelancers can help you bid on projects too big for one person. It’s a growth strategy when you can’t fit any more work into your day. And sometimes, it’s simply a way to work with people you enjoy. Here are some tips for...
